What do you do?
I'm a social research scientist manager in the Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation.
Describe your educational path. What was your area of study?
My undergraduate degree is in anthropology, and my master's and doctorate are in sociology. My very first anthropology class was in community college. I fell in love with studying cultural anthropology as a young person who grew up in multi-racial, muti-ethnic, and multi-religious families.
While pursuing my undergraduate I minored in sociology and found that studying social policies, social justice movements, and systemic inequities and inequalities was my true passion. I decided I wanted to be a professor and transitioned into sociology because of its focus on systems and inequalities, and because I was told it would be easier to get a job with statistical training.
In graduate school, I had the privilege to master mixed qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and apply them to better understanding the effects of universal human rights regimes on social, health and economic policies in the United States and the Americas. I had no idea how relevant my knowledge of social determinants of inequities, or how useful my methods training, would be to a career in public health.
How did you enter your career into public health?
My path to public health was definitely not direct. After completing my graduate studies, I became an assistant professor of sociology/anthropology at a midwestern liberal arts college. I spent my time there continuing to hone my research methods skills and gained more subject matter depth and breadth by working with students who had deep interests in population health and demographics, environmental and social justice, and social problems rooted in systemic inequalities and inequities.
Then I had a major career pivot and began my career as a public servant working for the Washington Department of Social and Health Services. As the forensic mental health research manager, I played a major role in developing our state's ability use data to monitor, evaluate, and improve social, health, economic, and psychiatric services for some of our state's most vulnerable populations. Again, I was not realizing just how close to public health I truly was.
Watching our many everyday heroes play a critical role in advocating for health equity and the role of public health throughout a global pandemic was both humbling and inspiring. When the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) began seeking a social science expert who could use mixed research methods and apply a health equity lens to evaluate our programs, services and policies, I knew where I wanted to be.
Tell us about your team or the primary purpose of your group.
I am the social research scientist manager for the Strategy, Evaluation, Policy and Performance team, and I lead our new evaluation unit. My primary roles are to lead program evaluation activities for agency-wide initiatives and programs such as the Health Environment for All (HEAL) Act, co-lead implementation of a performance management framework to assess the agency's Transformational Plan goal of equity and optimal health for all, act as a subject matter and research methods expert to analyze the effects of our health policies, build a team that leads and supports evaluation of our agency's top policy and programmatic priorities, and build capacity for program evaluation and performance management practices and standards across the agency.
What is your typical day in your job?
A typical day in my job is working with our agency partners to develop and follow through on mixed quantitative and qualitative program evaluation plans, support our programs and initiatives developing performance measures to report on public facing scorecards, design our new scorecard system, collaborate with teammates researching and analyzing data for topics ranging from environmental justice to workforce development to social cohesion, and support the evaluation unit as they lead evaluation activities for agency-wide systems-changing programs and grants.
This means my day alternates between independent thought-work, in the weeds collaborative research, and evaluation and performance management planning with partners from around the agency and the state.
What previous experiences most helped you with this role?
One of my professors told me to take all the research methods courses I could while I was still in school. She said that mastering new research methods on-the-job is much more difficult than deepening my subject matter expertise. I took that advice and became a well-rounded mixed methods research expert.
Studying abroad and internships or fellowships gave me opportunities to apply my growing research skills in practical ways, exposed me to new ways of thinking and acting, showed me the different ways that social and structural determinants and factors impact lives, and taught me to stay humble.
Finally, my first role at the state provided opportunities to learn how to apply my subject matter knowledge of social and structural factors that harm our most vulnerable populations, to broaden my statistical and research skillsets, to manage complex, nuanced, and messy real-life data, and how to work with truly interdisciplinary and collaborative teams. It became the foundation for learning to apply principles of equity-focused program evaluation and policy research leading me to my role today.
What advice would you give a student pursuing career opportunities in public health? What is something you wish you knew earlier in your career?
In an era where career changes are increasingly more common, keeping your options open is a good practice. I am not suggesting you stop pursuing this career, especially when public health is your passion. I am forever and proudly a sociologist. Being creative and flexible throughout your career(s) in public health will make you open to new opportunities within the field.
The biggest lesson I learned as an assistant professor was that tying my identity to my career choice made me less resilient as a worker and as a person, even though I passionately pursued it for a decade. While I achieved that goal, I also looked at the end of my journey as a sociology/anthropology professor as a failure. Transitioning to a career in public service showed me that my research skills and understanding of the social and structural determinants and drivers of health and equity are more useful and needed than I ever realized. It taught me the resiliency I needed to be open to new opportunities and ultimately made me a happier person.
What achievements are you most proud of in your work in public health?
The thing I find most rewarding is working with people committed to helping Washington achieve its health equity goals. Relationships, data, research, and equity. What else could a sociologist ask for?
Two of my proudest achievements are:
- Co-authoring the DOH Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act implementation plan that is focused on eliminating environmental harms and equitably distributing environmental benefits for overburdened communities and vulnerable populations.
- Being asked to lead the evaluation unit's efforts to build capacity for evaluative thinking and data-driven decision-making.
What is something that would surprise people about your day-to-day job?
I spend a great deal of time thinking, reading, and discussing. Hustle and production culture is a real challenge, and I have the privilege of being in a position where I can take time to process.
Do you see any bright spots or opportunities as you look to the future of public health for the next generation of public health professionals?
Yes. Initiatives like the Workforce Pathways Program and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's public health Infrastructure grant put a ton of emphasis on attracting and sustaining a more diverse workforce and building a more equitable workplace. As someone who identifies as a person of color, child of immigrants, father of queer people, and someone who experiences neurodivergence, I appreciate being part of a workforce that is becoming more representative of the Washingtonians we serve.
Are there any books, podcasts, or other media that you would recommend for future public health professionals?
- The Color of Welfare: How Racism Undermined the War on Poverty by Jill Quadagno
- One Nation, Uninsured: Why the United States Has No National Health Insurance by Jill Quadagno
- Backdoor to Eugenics by Troy Duster
- This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein
What do you enjoy about living and working in Washington state?
I am an avid mushroom and berry forager, I love the forests, mountains and beach, and the weather is hard to beat. DOH's support for remote work means you can live wherever you want within the state to enjoy the activities and communities that are most meaningful to you.